Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Only Neat Thing to Do
by CobrayPrisken
Summary: My attempt to rewrite Evangelion based on the original Neon Genesis Evangelion Proposal. All applicable info taken from the Proposal, everything else I will make up or sample from the anime as I see fit. Things may seem familiar at first- but they certainly won't end up that way.
1. Episode 1: People's Reunion

**Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Only Neat Thing to Do**

In the place where God resides, there is a hall of mirrors which stretches on forever. Each mirror shows in to a different version of the world- some are very similar, some are not. There exists a singularity within the myriad Earths contained in these mirrors: The Evangelion Test Type, Unit 01. Insie of it, there is a boy.

Ikari Shinji.

In one such Earth, the boy named Ikari Shinji can be found in a small, two car train winding through the mountains of the Hakone territory towards the city of Tokyo-3. The young boy of age fourteen is alone in his traincar, left to ponder over the mysterious circumstances which have conspired over the past few days to bring him to the city.

_"Father... why has he suddenly contacted me? He certainly didn't waste any time dropping me at Uncle's after Mother died. It's been over three years since the last time we met at Mother's grave. Still, I'm sure if he's gone to the trouble to send for me all the way here to Tokyo-3, he must need something from me." _

With a sigh, Shinji slumped down in his seat. Sure, he hadn't ever gotten along with his father, Ikari Gendo, but hadn't he still jumped at the call? Just for a chance to get his father's approval. Suddenly however, Shinji's mind was wiped clean of such internal debates as the train stopped short with a jolt. Shinji was flung to the floor of the car as the ground began to shake, and when he looked up through the window, he was startled beyond all expectations.

What greeted Shinji's view as he stumbled back to his feet could only be described as something out of a manga- a huge, blue mecha weilding a large rifle that was easily the size of the train Shinji was on. A large, extension cord-like device was attached to its back, and seemed to wind towards Tokyo-3. Just as the thought _"What is it pointing the gun at?"_ began to cross Shinji's mind, his question was answered as the side of the mountain exploded. Charging through the house sized chunks of shrapnel towards the robot was a huge, alien monster the likes of which Shinji couldn't have imagined had he not been looking at it.

At least as tall as the robot, the metallic monster had a vaguely humanoid shape, though its arms and legs were both disturbingly long, clawed talons dragging along the ground behind it. A long, arched neck curved out from what could be only somewhat accurately described as its shoulders, with an odd, avian-like skull mounted on the end. The most disturbing feature, however, was the greyish pink mass of brain-like tissue coiling down the neck back towards the body, throbbing rapidly.

"What... what is that?!" Shinji's mind reeled as he tried to process the battle he was witnessing. Three shots from the mecha's rifle tore the air like thunder, and the groud shook as the collosal shells hit the earth. As the monster fell back in to the remains of the mountain in had charged through, a chunk of rock hit the lead car of Shinji's train, causing it to roll off of the tracks. Shinji grabbed for a handhold at the last second, but even so, he bounced against the luggage rack that had just a moment earlier been above his head instead of hitting in to his back.

The battle moved away from the train, around the next mountain as Shinji crawled his way out of the traincar's broken window. Looking down towards the first car, the young boy saw something that would haunt him throughout the rest of his trials- the body of the conductor had left the train as well- just not on purpose. Shinji stumbled away from the pile of gore and fell down, landing on his back as he tried to supress the rising tide of vomit in his throat. Just as he was about to succumb, a blue car rolled out of the access road up to him. The door opened, and a voluptuous woman in a red dress got out and stood over Shinji's head. Blushing at what he saw looking up at her as she looked down at him, Shinji averted his eyes.

"Ikari Shinji, I presume? I'm 1st Lieutenant Katsuragi Misato, of NERV. I appreciate the compliment, but for now, you're going to have to come with me."

Shinji and Lt. Katsuragi sped alongside the train tracks towards Tokyo-3, the sound of the robot battling the monster shaking the ground and splitting the sky from the other side of the mountains.

"Katsuragi-san?" Shinji began timidly, "What are those things?" Shinji gestured to the alien looking giant through a gap in the mountains as it swept a claw up, narrowly missing the robot's mono-eyed face.

"There'll be time for all of that later, Ikari-kun. But if you don't mind-" the car banked around a wide fissure caused by the battling giants. "I'd very much like to concentrate on driving for now." Shinji choked back an apology as he returned to the window, silent for a moment until yet another question escaped his lips.

"The... the blue one is the good guy, right?" Shinji watched the Lieutenant smirk at this question, and felt a bit more at ease for it.

"Yeah, Ikari-kun. That's the good guy."

Only a few giant sized strides away, the pilot inside the blue robot was breathing heavily. She had seen Lt. Katsuragi's car acquire Ikari from the wreckage of the train, and was doing her best to keep them safe long enough for them to make it to Tokyo-3. Feinting back as another claw came dangerously close to her, the pilot pivoted around to smash the butt of the rifle against the creature's skull. Just a few more seconds now and the Lieutenant's car would be out of harms way- she had to make this next move count. Lobbing the rilfe towards the stumbling enemy, she used the temporary blindspot to retrieve a Progressive Knife from where it was stowed in the robot's shoulder and charged.

"Just die." The pilot's soft voice commanded as the gap closed. At the last second, however, the monster lashed out towards the knife-free arm and the sound of tearing metal roared across the country side- only a split second before the cockpit filled with the girl's screams. Still, the knife found its mark and the previous two sounds were drowned out by horrible, alien wailing as blue blood gushed out from the gaping wound in the monster's neck. Striking in a blind fury of rage and pain, a quick claw swipe sent the robot flying back past the last mountain in the range towards Tokyo-3.

Just like that, the battle was done, if only for the time being. The monster retreated in to the lake which lay just on the other side of that last mountain, blue blood bubbling up occasionally. The robot, shredded left arm dangling at its side and gash across its chest, lumbered towards the city. In the cockpit, the girl who was nursing her arm between labored breaths smiled faintly as she saw the Lieutenant's car escape in to the tunnel leading deeper in to the city. She had protected them, and her mission was accomplished. He would praise her for this. Returning to the place where the cord plugged in, the robot knelt down as the platform it was on lowered deep in to the ground. Back to safety. Back to NERV.

Speeding along the seemingly abandoned streets of Tokyo-3 towards NERV headquarters, Shinji turned to Lt. Katsuragi. She seemed to have relaxed a bit, so he decided it might be okay to ask some questions now.

"Um, Katsuragi-san? Are we... safe now?" The lack of mecha versus monster warfare certainly seemed like a good sign, but the ghostly emptiness of the city was still pretty unnerving.

"Don't worry, Ikari-kun. We're almost back to NERV HQ, and we'll be safe underground." Shinji paused to consider this, and continued.

"NERV... do you work with my father, then? What does NERV do, anyway?" Now that he wasn't fearing for his life anymore, Shinji found himself increasingly more curious.

"Well to answer the first question, yes. I work under your father, Commander Ikari. As for what we do... well, I think that should explain itself once we get there. Ah! Here we are." Lt. Katsuragi made a sharp right and came to a stop on a metal plate outside of a large, windowless concrete building.

"What're we-" yet again, Shinji found his question aswered before he could ask it. With a shudder, the plate moved down a few meters before heading forwards on a sort of conveyer belt that carried the car gradually down under the building. As the tunnel lights moved by, Shinji sighed.

"Something bothering you, Ikari-kun?" The Lieutenant placed her hand on Shinji's knee, making him jump a little despite himself. Her face showed genuine concern, but Shinji still found himself looking away.

"I... don't get along with my father very well. Do you know what he wants with me?" Lt. Katsuragi gave a small smile to the boy, even if he wasn't looking to see it. He did see it though, reflected in the window, and it made him happy.

"You'll see Commander Ikari soon, and he'll be able to explain everything. I promise. For now, just try and relax." She patted Shinji's knee again and withdrew her hand, smiling at him. "By the way, Ikari-kun, you can just call me Misato. I feel old enough as it is!" Misato laughed, but Shinji seemed unsure.

"Okay, um... Misato-san. If you're sure that's appropriate..." Misato rolled her eyes. How uptight could this boy be?

"Fine, fine. I'll just call you Shin-chan then. That's that!" Misato teased Shinji, but given his lack of protest, Misato just decided it would do. Finally, they reached the end of the tunnel as it deposited in to a parking garage. Misato drove down a few levels until she found a parking space to her satisfaction in section 667, which was followed by a trek down another few sections to an elevator.

"Ah, here we are! Just on time, too. I certainly don't need Ritsuko to be on my case for tardiness again. Would you hit that button, Shin-chan? Thanks."

Half an hour later, Shinji was still trailing along behind an increasingly irritated Misato down what seemed like the fiftieth identical corridor of the labyrinthine NERV HQ.

"Damn it! You'd think that by now I'd be able to find my way around here. Ohhh, Ritsuko is going to kill me..." Misato groaned in desperation.

"Oh I will, huh? Tell me Lieutenant, do you enjoy interrupting my work just so I can come look for you?" Misato cringed at the firm, female voice that came from the corner they had just walked past. Turning to look, Shinji saw a tall blonde woman in a lab coat with a beauty mark and bright red lips. She was leaning against the wall smoking a cigarette, drumming her fingers against the wall.

"Hi Ritsuko... Shin-chan, this is Dr. Akagi, head of Project E development and a lead scientist for the Artificial Evolution Library. Ritsuko, this is Ikari-kun." Looking satisfied with herself for the successful introductions, Misato stepped back to allow the two to approach each other. Ritsuko stepped forward first, offering her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Ikari-kun. I hope Lt. Katsuragi hasn't spoken too harshly of me during your exodus through our halls. She tends to get... frustrated." Shinji took her hand and shook, smiling at Misato's expense.

"It's good to meet you too! Don't worry, most of Misato-san's narration was too quiet for me to hear anyway." Ritsuko and Shinji laughed, Misato glowering at them from a few feet back.

"I like him," Ritsuko spoke over Shinji's head to Misato, "He'll do just fine. Anyway, shall we go meet Commander Ikari at the cage? Come with me." With that, Shinji followed Ritsuko down the hallway as Misato slumped along behind them. Several turns and a few minutes later, the group came to a wide set of blast doors. As the door opened after a swipe from Ritsuko's keycard, Shinji wondered what they were supposed to be keeping out. Stepping in to the wide, dark room behind the adults, a sense of unease struck Shinji. Ritsuko hit the lights, followed by a realization from Shinji- his day was about to get a lot more complicated.

Commander Ikari hung up his phone in the Command Center and turned to the grey haired man standing to his left. Pushing his amber lensed glasses back up on his nose, he spoke in a cold, calculating voice.

"The medical wing has released her, but she won't be able to pilot for another four to six weeks. That is too long. Tell me, Vice Commander Fuyutsuki, has Shinji arrived yet?" The man hunkered down to whisper to Gendo.

"He has, sir. Lt. Katsuragi brought him in about twenty minutes ago. Dr. Akagi just went to retrieve them. Are you going to go meet with him?" Rising from his chair and straightening his dark jacket, the Commander of NERV nodded.

"Yes. After all... we have no other choice. I'll leave the rest to you."

"What... is this another one of those robots? Like the one I saw fighting the monster outside the city?" Shinji couldn't believe his eyes. He was standing on a bridge at about shoulder level with a large, white robot not dissimilar from the blue one. Its shoulders were less bulky and had orange plates on them, and the head seemed differently shaped- it was flatter and longer, with a horizontal blade jutting back past the left cheek. The most striking difference however were its two piercing, yellow eyes. Shinji felt eerily as if it was watching him.

"This is the all-purpose, artificial battle weapon Evangelion," Ritsuko began, a sound of pride obviously present on her lips. "The unit you saw earlier was our Prototype, Eva Unit 00. This, however, is our pride and joy- Evangelion Test Type, Unit 01. The Evangelion was developed as mankind's last hope against our enemy- the Apostolos. This, Ikari-kun, is why NERV exists." Shinji struggled to find his voice for a moment, and then looked towards Misato.

"But... what does all of this have to do with me?" Shinji muttered. "What am I supposed to do?" This last question echoed in the large room for a second before dying down.

"You," a voice began from on high, towards which the boy and both women looked up in surprise, "You are supposed to pilot it." The voice echoed down from Commander Ikari's mouth, though it took several more seconds for Shinji to process it.

_"I'm supposed to pilot this thing? How? I've never done anything like this before!"_ Shinji's mind was racing.

"It's been a while... Shinji." Gendo smirked down from the catwalk where he stood.

"Father..." Shinji felt sad and happy all at once. He knew that he had, for some reason, been brought here just to serve his father. Yet Gendo was still his father- and Shinji did love him, even if he wasn't sure of it.

"Dr. Akagi, configure Unit 01 for Ikari Shinji. The Apostolo won't stay in that lake for long." The Commander spoke with a slight edge in his voice, as if this whole business of reuniting with his son was nothing but a distraction.

"But Father! I don't know how to do anything like this! Fight that thing? I can barely even believe that I saw it!" The level of panic in Shinji's voice rose with every word.

"He is not ready. I will pilot it." The soft voice of the room's newest visitor broke through Shinji's hysteria like a pebble through water. Shinji looked back at the reopened blast doors and saw a girl standing there, and aqua-colored hair coming just past her chin was the most normal thing about her. She was in a padded suit, almost all white but for the sleeves and waist which were blue. Her left arm was bandaged and she kept her right hand against her chest, seemingly in pain. A small yellow badge over her left breast read "Proto 00", and her dark blue eyes stared coldly back in to Shinji's.

"Shinji, I'd like you to meet Ayanami Rei- the pilot of Evangelion Unit 00. She's the one who was protecting us from the Apostolo on the way in to the city." Misato sounded cautious, and Shinji couldn't blame her. The tension in the room was drowning him.

"I appreciate your initiative Ayanami," Ritsuko walked up to stand next to Shinji. "But that just won't work. We already have Unit 01 configured to Ikari-kun, and with the Apostolo right on our doorstep there's no time to switch it. Shinji," Ritsuko put her hand on the boy's shoulder. "You can do this. All you have to do is sit in the entry plug."

"Well?" Gendo demanded. This was taking far too long.

"I... I'll do it." With those words, Ikari Shinji's fate was sealed forever.

Before he knew it, Shinji was standing on the robot's shoulder with Dr. Akagi and Ayanami. A cylinder had emerged from the Evangelion's spine, at the base of its neck. As Ritsuko fixed him with a headset, she spoke.

"This is an Interface Headset, Ikari-kun. It links your A-10 nerve to the Eva's control system. When you're ready, hurry in to the entry plug. I'll turn you over to Ayanami now." Ritsuko stepped down on to the catwalk which brought them to Unit 01's shoulder and hurried to the command center, where Commander Ikari and Misato were waiting. Still on the Eva, however, Ayanami was staring Shinji down.

"You should know that I do not approve of you doing this," began Ayanami. Shinji nodded. "But since you are, you need to do so correctly. The fate of the world hangs in the balance. The Evangelion is controlled with your mind, like an extension of your own body. If you think about walking, the Evangelion will walk. Do you understand?" While Ayanami looked skeptical that Shinji would understand her telling him that water was wet, he actually felt fairly certain he followed. Nodding, Shinji took a few backwards steps towards the entry plug- Ayanami Rei made him feel uneasy.

"Very well." Shinji's fellow pilot turned to leave, but once she reached the catwalk she paused and looked over her shoulder.

"And Ikari?" Shinji looked back at her from where he was climbing in to the entry plug.

"Yes, Ayanami-san?"

"Good luck."

Sitting in the resealed entry plug, Shinji felt it being lowered back in to the Evangelion. It was dark inside the plug save for a few dim, orange lights. A speaker kicked in, and Misato's voice came to Shinji.

"Shinji, are you okay in there? We're going to test the-" Misato was cut off by the sound of an alarm. "Shit! The Apostolo finished with its nap. Shinji, we're just going to have to connect you quickly and send you up. Dr. Akagi will walk you through synchronization now." Shinji gulped and the speaker clicked as it switched over to Ritsuko's station.

"Okay, Ikari. I need you to relax your mind for a moment. Just phase all of this out and allow the Eva to connect to you." Shinji did his best to ignore the sirens and background noise from the command center, though the threat of iminent combat was a bit harder to forget.

Good, Ikari. Stand by." Ritsuko followed this up with a string of things Shinji could barely follow. "Connecting main power. All circuits transmitting power. Commencing secondary contacts. A-10 nerve connection, normal. Set the thought configurations to Japanese." As Dr. Akagi continued through start up, the inside of the plug began to flash with different patterns. Suddenly, Shinji could see the room again, as if through the Eva's own eyes.

_"Wow... this really is amazing!"_ Shinji was beside himself as Ritsuko continued.

"All preliminary contacts established. Performance nominal. Bi-directional circuits are open. Synchronization rate at 41.3%. Harmonics are all normal, no disturbances identified. " Back in the Command Center, Ritsuko gave the okay to Misato, who continued giving orders.

"Prepare to launch! Disengage primary lock bolts! Disengage secondary lock bolts! Disengage both primary and secondary restraints. Release safety locks one through fifteen. Move Unit 01 to deployment position." Misato motioned to a technician who flipped a few switches. Back in the entry plug, Shinji gave a start as the Eva began to tip backwards, the wall behind it tipping back forty-five degrees so that Unit 01 lined up with a tunnel leading up to the surface. The engineer turned back to Misato.

"Launch path is clear. All systems green, we're ready for launch." Misato nodded and looked to where Commander Ikari and Vice Commander Fuyutsuki were standing.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, sir?" Misato asked cautiously.

"It's the only idea, Lieutenant. Now give the command."

"Yes sir. Evangelion Unit 01, launch!" With Misato's command, Shinji felt himself hurtling towards the surface at lightning speed. In a flash, Evangelion Unit 01 burst through an open hatch in the middle of a Tokyo-3 street. In his attempt to regain his bearings, Shinji noticed he was several blocks over from the building he and Misasto had entered from. Looking up, however, Shinji noticed movement in the distance. The Apostolo was slowly making its way in to the outskirts of the city. Shinji's heart raced as Misato's voice came back in on the speaker.

"You can do this Shinji. We're counting on you. Evangelion Unit 01, move out!"

**A/N: **Well, thanks for reading! Obviously, Eva belongs to Gainax. Also, I'd like to thank the wonderful folks at EvaGeeks for the Proposal translation I'm working off of. Feedback welcome!


	2. Episode 2: Unrecognizable Ceilings

The stage of the battle was set. As the Apostolo slowly lurched its way towards Unit 01, Shinji noticed that he had stopped breathing.

"Relax, Shinji," Misato's voice came across the speaker. "You'll be fine. Now remember- just think about walking for right now."

_"Easy for her to say," _Shinji thought to himself. _"She's not sitting inside a mecha that's about to fight a giant monster."_ Still, Shinji did as he was told. _"Walk...walk...walk...walk. Walk. Come on! Walk!"_

With that last urging, the white giant called Evangelion lurched forward. Making its way down the street, it felt to Shinji as an extension of himself. It was amazing how natural it felt to do something this unnatural. Looking towards the Apostolo, Ikari Shinji navigated Unit 01 through the buildings towards the creature. The rush of power to his brain was overwhelming; it felt to Shinji very much like he was trying to cross a child's room without stepping on any toys- both trying hard not to break anything and yet not really caring if he did. He had to focus on the task at hand, though, or people would be hurt. Finally coming to the far end of a street from the Apostolo, Shinji urged the Evangelion to stop. Much to the dismay of both Shinji and the Nerv staff watching from underground, it did not. Instead, Unit 01 continued to walk slowly down the street towards the metallic abomination.

"No!" Shinji cried out as he shook the controls uselessly. "Stop! Stop it!" Unit 01 continued its stroll down the street. When it was about halfway there, the hulking frame of the Apostolo started its way towards Shinji.

"Shinji!" Misato's voice made Shinji jump, even though he also felt a great deal more at ease knowing he wasn't quite as alone as he felt. "The Eva has a Progressive Knife in its shoulder! Get ready!" Shinji nodded and willed for Unit 01 to grab the weapon. When it did, both Shinji and Misato sighed with relief. Then, having been temporarily forgotten, the Apostolo swung a claw out at Shinji.

"Damn it!" Shinji cursed as the Eva hopped back with only milliseconds to spare. The Apostolo stumbled forward, losing its balance momentarily. Not one accustomed to knife fights, Shinji had Unit 01 do the first thing that came to mind. He punched it in the face. The monster screeched as it reeled back, and it was all Shinji could do to not let go of the controls and cover his ears.

"The knife, Shinji! Use the knife!" Misato called over the comm system again, the faint sounds of the Nerv staff cheering at Shinji's punch in the background not lost to him. Shinji smiled slightly to himself as Unit 01's grip on the prog knife tightened.

"Yes, Misato-san."

The Eva charged forward, knife raised over its head as its other arm pushed down on the Apostolo's shoulder. Shinji aimed for the coils of brainy tissue along the long, arched neck. Then the Apostolo that was about to die moved very, very quickly. Shinji screamed and moved his left hand to his right thigh. As it happened, the deadly claws of the Apostolo had just taken a large piece of Unit 01's thigh away; Shinji felt every single ripping nerve as if it had happened to him personally. Unit 01 flew back against the building behind it, slumping to the ground.

"Shinji! Shinji, you're okay! Your leg is fine. Ritsuko, cut the damn circuit!" Misato was yelling, but Shinji couldn't tell what she had said. He was still screaming far too loud to hear. A second later, the pain in his leg flashed away.

"What... what just happened?" Shinji asked as he looked up. He saw the Apostolo standing over him. He saw the claw come down towards the Evangelion's head. There was a sound of rending metal, and a flash of pain. Then, there was only darkness.

Ikari Shinji opened his eyes in a bright white room. For a moment, he was more blind with his eyes opened then he had been when they were closed. As his eyes adjusted, he realized he was in a hospital bed. The whirs and beeps of the monitors hooked up to him played along at a steady rhythm.

"What... what happened? Where am I?" Shinji muttered, placing his head in his hands. He had a splitting headache that was driving him crazy. The last thing he knew, he had looked up and-

_"The Apostolo! It attacked me!"_ Shinji tried to scramble out of the bed, but his feet tangled in the sheets and his IVs pulled and hurt his arm.

"I wouldn't advise that." Shinji looked up to see Dr. Akagi standing in the doorway.

"Dr. Akagi! What happened? The Apostolo-"

"Was defeated, Ikari-kun. By Unit 01. I'm sure you have a great deal of questions, but you need to rest. Lieutenant Katsuragi will be by later to brief you when you are discharged. Now, as I said. Get some rest." With that, the doctor left, and Shinji laid there obediently. Sleep, on the other hand, was out of the question. Every time he closed his eyes, Shinji felt the pain of his leg being rended by giant claws. Every time his consciousness stated to lull, he was spurred back awake by the vision of doom descending on his prone Evangelion. Not to mention this headache... Eventually, Shinji settled on trying to count the number of tiles on the room's ceiling. But he just couldn't focus. Three hours later, when Misato came to get him, he had only gotten as high a forty before needing to start over.

"How are you feeling, Shinji?" Misato's voice was soft, much more reserved than he remembered from their earlier meetings. Shinji couldn't decide if he felt it was pity, empathy or a mixture of the two in her voice. He also didn't know which possibility made him feel the worst.

"I'm fine, I guess. A bit of a headache, but over all I'm okay." Shinji hoped she believed his lie. She didn't, but she decided it would be best to move on.

"Okay, if you say so. Anyway, it'll take some time for Nerv to get you quarters assigned here on base, so you're going to stay at my place tonight." Misato smiled at Shinji. She really was trying to get Shinji to relax and become comfortable in this new place; that was far more than anyone else had done. He supposed that he should accept her hospitality. After all, he did like her, and he was far too tired to put up a fight.

"Thank you, Misato-san." Shinji did his best to bow from his sitting position. She smiled, but waved off his thanks.

"No need for that. I'm just doing what's right." She tossed a small bundle on to the foot of his bed. "Those are the clothes you had on. I'm going to go collect your bag from downstairs while the nurses unhook your IVs and you get dressed. I'll come back up to get you in a little while and then we can go get some stuff for dinner, how does that sound?" Misato rattled off her list of procedure very quickly. Shinji supposed it came from being a person who gave orders as her job. Still, it sounded nice.

"Yes, Misato-san. Thank you, again."

She smiled and waved him off again as she left the room.

Half an hour later and they were back in Misato's car, heading to a market that was apparently down the road from Misato's apartment building.

"Okay, here we are!" Misato patted Shinji on the shoulder as she parked. He got out of the car and followed her slowly in to the store. He was a nervous boy by nature, and going in to a new store in a new city after what could quite possibly be the most stressful day anyone had ever had wasn't sitting very well with him. Trailing along behind Misato as she pulled a great deal of instant food from the shelves in to her basket, Shinji overheard a couple of women talking in the next aisle.

"Did you see those things? Evangelions, they're called. Not to mention that monster they fought. The Apostolo. How terrifying they all are!"

"Yeah, it was pretty scary having to evacuate to the shelters like that. But I guess that's what they're there for. Still, I'm glad that white Evangelion showed up. Who knows how bad the damage could have been if it hadn't stopped the monster!"

Shinji smiled. He had done something right. Even if he couldn't remember what it was right now, he had helped people. That had to be worth something. He'd have to get better at controling the Eva if this was going to continue though.

"Shinji! You still in there somewhere? I asked what kind of curry we should get. I can't decide!" Misato's dinner inquiries snapped him out of his thoughts, but the good mood stayed. Now he knew; no matter what else happened, agreeing to pilot Unit 01 had been the right decision.

"Here, Misato-san. Let me see those..."

The sun was just beginning to set as Misato and Shinji made their was across the walkway to Misato's apartment. Admittedly, he was unsure how to behave. Certainly Misato was far nicer to him than most people he had known. But by his age he was unable to shake the notion that every kindness had a less savory motive behind it. Shinji looked up from the sneakers he had been pondering and stopped short, narrowly avoiding running right in to Misato's back.

"Well, here we are. Home sweet home!" Misato opened the door and stepped through. Turning around, she saw Shinji still standing just outside the door.

"Come on, Shin-chan. You don't need permission to come inside." Shinji turned an interesting shade of crimson at this, and Misato laughed.

"Oh, relax. You know what I mean. Still, I suppose it just goes to show you really are a boy after all." Laughing, she walked further in and waved for Shinji to follow. He did, and bowed when he came in before taking off his shoes. Welcome or not, Shinji was still a guest. Carrying both his bag and the groceries, he followed along after Misato, and stopped short as he came to the kitchen. Shinji could hardly believe his eyes; there were empty packages of snacks and even more empty bottles of alcohol cluttered everywhere.

"Um. Misato-san? Where should I put the food?" He called out to the apartment in general, as he didn't actually know where Misato had gone.

"Oh, just put the cold things in the fridge and leave the rest on the table. When your done with that, you'll be staying in the last room on the left down the hall. You can put your stuff away in there." Misato's voice echoed back in to the kitchen, and Shinji followed its instruction. Opening the fridge to find even more snacks and beer than what there was littering the room, Shinji managed to cram the groceries in amongst the myriad cans. Proceding to Misato's guest room, he unloaded the few things from his bag in to the small dresser against the wall. Shinji found the small room quite pleasant; there wasn't much in it really, just the futon and the dresser. There was a small window along the top of the wall opposite the door. Plopping down on the bed, Shinji tried to remember what had happened to him in the battle. Diving deeper in to his thoughts, the sounds of Misato moving around the kitchen didn't register in his ears. He was afraid to remember anything more; what he did remember was horrible enough. But he had to know, and this seemed as safe a place as any to try and figure it out.

"Think, Ikari... think..."

The sound of metal tearing apart had been the Evangelion's head. For a split second, right before the darkness came to him, Shinji was certain that his own head was being torn in half as well. After that, all Shinji could remember was a faint memory of his childhood. It had been a hot summer day at the park, and a four year old Shinji had begun to cry because another boy had been bullying him. Like an angel all in white, his mother had come to his rescue. Shinji was safe inside her arms, and remembered her voice, warning the boy away.

"Don't you dare be mean to my Shinji again. Understand?" The coldness in her voice made the July day feel like January. From his safe perch against his mother's hip, Shinji had watched the boy's eyes widen and began to tear. The bully had wet himself and run off, doubtless in search of his own mother. Shinji was lifted up and found himself face to face with his mother.

"I will always protect you, Shinji. My sweet boy..." The memory trailed off. It was a good one, and one of the most vivid he had of his late mother. It had taken place a mere week before she had died, and his life had become the lonely hell he always felt it was. The next thing he could remember was a sound of splashing, and opening his eyes slightly. In the red-lit cockpit, he looked out to see the crimson dyed hands of Unit-01 yanking a red orb out of a puddle he supposed had once been the Apostolo. Shinji had just enough time to wonder who was making the Evangelion do that before he slipped back in to darkness again. That was all he remembered until waking up in the hospital.

"Shinji?" Misato brought him out of a trance for the second time that day. She was calling him from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready! Come out when you're ready!" Shinji got to his feet and smiled. Whatever had happened, he was okay, and everyone else seemed okay. The Apostolo was dead, the day was saved, and dinner was ready. Whatever fears he had, surely they would pass in time. Shinji smiled and made his way to the kitchen. When he arrived, though, he was finding it hard to not focus on Misato. Quite different from the professional, well dressed woman who had given him orders while he was in the Eva, The woman in front of him was chugging a beer while wearing a pair of denim shorts and a flimsy tank top (without a bra, as Shinji was very quick to note).

"Yeah! That's good stuff!" Misato slammed her beer down on the table and looked up at Shinji. "Come sit down and celebrate, Shin-chan!"

"Celebrate? What for?" Shinji asked as he sat down across the table from her.

"Well, for you saving the city! It's not every day a hero comes to dinner. So eat up, okay? It's pretty good for instant food." Misato took another swig and started shoveling food on to her dish. Shinji was flustered by how relaxed Misato seemed, and didn't quite have it in him to reach out for food.

"Hey, Shinji! Why aren't you eating? C'mon! Eat-eat-eat!" It became increasingly obvious to Shinji that the beer in her hand was not the first she'd had since they had gotten back, and Misato leaned across the table to scoop food on to Shinji plate for him. With great effort, Shinji managed to keep his eyes away from the tempting forbidden zone swaying before him, instead looking up at Misato's face. Her face was flushed from the alcohol, but he could tell that she was happy in a more fundamental way. It made him feel good that she was happy eating dinner with him. It was a rather new experience for Shinji, but one he embraced.

After dinner, Misato convinced Shinji that he should go take a bath and relax. It seemed like a good idea to Shinji, who after all had been having a very stressful couple of days. Misato pointed him to the bathroom that went off of the kitchen to the side opposite the hallway, and Shinji went in after grabbing a change of clothes from the dresser in the guest room. Stripping down before going to the bath, Shinji was acutely aware of the multitude of Misato's clothes and underwear scattered around the room. Trying not to dwell, he let out a sigh and opened the door. Finding himself, inexplicably, groin to face with a penguin, Shinji yelled out and ran. Throwing the door open, Shinji stammered to Misato.

"Mi-Mi-Misato-san! There's a-a-a penguin!" As Shinji said this, the penguin waddled out past Shinji, going around the corner to a smaller fridge located in the corner of the kitchen. Both Misato and Shinji paused to watch him go inside.

"Oh, right. I knew I knew I forgot something. That's PenPen. He's an experimental warm water penguin. When Nerv acquired some lab space a few years back, they were just going to put him to sleep. So I rescued him. I guess you could say he's my roommate." Misato paused and gave Shinji a once over glance.

"A little cold in here, Shin-chin-chin?" She smiled devilishly. Now that she mentioned it, Shinji did feel a bit chilly. Looking down, he realized why and flushed bright red as he flung himself back behind the wall. "Ah! Misato-san! I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" She chuckled to herself as he retreated to the bath. He was a good kid. She just hoped that the boy called Ikari Shinji would still be the same at the end of all of this.

An hour later, Shinji was in bed, staring at yet another ceiling he had never seen before. Misato had just come out of the bath herself, and tapped lightly on the door. Shinji was lost in thought, and didn't hear her.

"Shinji... I just want you to know that I'm proud of you." Misato spoke quietly through the door before retreating to her own room. Shinji registered that, and smiled to himself. Misato was kind. Maybe life here would be good. Within ten minutes, Shinji was asleep. He dreamed of his mother. Her hands were red, and she was pulling a red orb out of the boy who had bullied him.

She looked up at Shinji and smiled.

**A/N: **Well, another "episode". I hope you guys enjoy it! To answer a question I got in a review of Episode 1, I'm going with Ayanami Rei as opposed to Ichijo Yui because the image named "Ichijo Yui" is not in the proposal, despite being in things such as Sadomoto's Der Mond. Her name is listed in the proposal as Ayanami Rei, so that's what I'll use. I guess it was phased out before the finished putting the proposal together. Anyway, Eva belongs to Gainax, and thanks again to EvaGeeks!


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